Crafty Mermaid

I've just bought this lovely kit for a newly minted older sister - her younger sister was born just this weekend to a colleague of mine.  Putting together a package for the happy household!

I love my new oil burner - its not often that they're pleasing to the eye as well as useful :)

The New Zealand farmer's markets

Friends of mine live near Zealandia (or the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) and are frequently visited by one of New Zealand's parrots - the Kaka .  It seems they like bananas (and its ok to feed them that!).

Continuing with the plumbing and bathroom theme :)  I found a new (to me) mirror in Otaki on my drive through to Taupo and finally had a chance to put up some decals I bought at the same time and website as my satchel .  BM isn't convinced but I'm happy to have them brighten up that room for now. Though my favourite is the decal over the toilet roll holder.

Here's the real reason I didn't get my Christmas stockings finished!  We had the whole house replumbed in the week before the rest of my family descended for Christmas. This is the ensuite bathroom in the master bedroom. Then the beautiful and thankfully short lived 'fix' for our new shower mixer in the main bathroom. The wonderful wall in my craft room/study. Here's the laundry. And again with new plasterboard.  Although I quite liked the pleasant surprize of finding the kitchen extension being insulated :)  Most of the surprizes so far have been of the unpleasant and expensive variety (like having to completely replace the plumbing!).  We had a builders report before we bought the house and unfortunately they missed this *little* problem (and a few others, like the floorboards, etc. etc.). And an almost repaired wall in the craft room/study/second guest bedroom.  That room is doing a 'lot' of double duties over...

I love having flowers around the house and I'm developing a great love for peonies.  Though not the ability to photograph them!  Ah well, this way I get to post more photos :) I've also got a Christmas Stocking project still on the go - yes it is the 2nd of Jan.  But I'm sure I'll finish it for next year.  The fabric below is a recent purchase in Taupo to potentially grace the top of my stockings. And finally, I thought I'd share my Christmas decorations - yup a severely height disadvantaged Christmas tree. But there's only so much decorating you can do for Christmas in the summer. I think I'll follow a mid winter Christmas tradition this coming year and properly decorate the house in July - when its not shining outside! *(and yes, Ms SJ, that is your shiny gold box underneath - used for storing Christmas decorations and then brightening up my tree!)